''Tisoy!'' is a 1977 Philippine

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Ishmael Bernal Ishmael Bernal (September 30, 1938 – June 2, 1996) was a Philippines, Filipino filmmaker, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark ...

from a story and screenplay written by Severino Marcelo that is based on his comic strip of the same name. The film stars

Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956), also known as Boyet, is a Filipino actor, filmmaker and politician. Often referred to as the "King of Philippine Drama", he gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous film and te ...

, Jay Ilagan, Charo Santos, Bert "Tawa" Marcelo, and Lorli Villanueva, with the special participation of

Nora Aunor Nora Cabaltera Villamayor (May 21, 1953 – April 16, 2025), known professionally as Nora Aunor (), was a Filipino actress, producer and singer. Known for her leading roles with patriotic, feminist and Political sociology, socio-political th ...

Bembol Roco Rafael Aranda Roco, Jr. (born November 20, 1953), professionally known as Bembol Roco, is a Filipino actor whose work ranges from films to television. He is best known for his role as Julio Madiaga in the 1975 film ''Manila in the Claws of Ligh ...

Hilda Koronel Hilda Koronel (born Susan Reid; January 17, 1957) is a MMFF, FAMAS, Luna and Urian award-winning Filipino actress. Born to a Filipino mother and an American father who was a serviceman in Clark Air Base, she has starred in around 45 films, m ...

, and

Elizabeth Oropesa Elizabeth Oropesa (born July 17, 1954), also known as La Oropesa, or "Boots" to friends is a Filipina actress. She was a Grand Slam Best Actress winner for ''Bulaklak Ng Maynila'' (1999). She was crowned as Miss Luzon of the Miss Republic of th ...

. Produced by NV Productions, the film was theatrically released on April 30, 1977, and it is the first film where Christopher de Leon and Charo Santos paired up. In 2019, the film was digitally restored and remastered in

4K resolution 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 38402160 (4K UHD) with a 16:9 asp ...

by ABS-CBN Film Restoration, in partnership with Kantana Post-Production (Thailand).

Synopsis

Tisoy, a young and free-spirited balikbayan, returns to the Philippines to find his long-lost American father. While finding him somewhere in Metro Manila and its adjacent provinces, he meets new friends including Boy and reunites with his high school sweetheart Maribubut and Tikyo, a happy-go-lucky comedian from Bulacan.

Cast

as Tisoy * Jay Ilagan as Boy * Charo Santos as Maribubut * Bert Marcelo as Tikyo *Lorli Villanueva as Pomposa *Ruffy Mendoza *

Dexter Doria Dexter Doria is a Filipino veteran actress. She has appeared in more than 175 films and several television programs from ABS-CBN and GMA Network, often in supporting roles. Early life Doria graduated with a degree in AB Humanities from the U ...

as Marjorie * Soxie Topacio as Gemmo *Pongay *Jun Morales as Clip *Moody Diaz as Aling Otik

Special participation

as Corazon (from the 1976 film '' Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo'') *Dranreb Belleza as Bindoy *Feling Cudia as Pining * Marianne dela Riva as Woman stuck in traffic *

Johnny Delgado Juan Marasigan Feleo (February 28, 1948 – November 19, 2009), known professionally as Johnny Delgado, was a Filipino television and movie actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his television work on the TV gag show ''Goin' Banana ...

as Faith Healer * Angie Ferro as Faith Healer *Ernie Garcia as Party Guest *Sandy Garcia as Taxi Driver *Trixia Gomez as Party Guest *

as Lady in hotel hallway *

Edgar Mortiz Edgardo Mortiz (born August 30, 1954) is a Filipino actor, comedian, singer and director who is currently affiliated with ABS-CBN. He previously directed numerous shows under ABS-CBN, until its shutdown where he left the network after 34 years, ...

as Attendant *

Orestes Ojeda Orestes Ojeda (January 3, 1956 − July 27, 2021) was a Filipino actor in movies and television. Career Born Luis C. Pagalilauan at Cagayan Valley, he was 17 years old when he was persuaded by director Joey Gosiengfiao to join show business. H ...

as Man stuck in traffic *

as Maria (from the 1976 film '' Nunal sa Tubig'') *Rolly Quizon as a Scuba diver in a hotel fountain *

as Julio Madiaga (from the 1975 film ''

Manila in the Claws of Light Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

'')

Reception

Critical reception

Film critic Mario Hernando gave a mixed-to-positive review and called the film "partly corny" and "partly hysterically crazy".

References

External links

* {{Ishmael Bernal 1977 films Filipino-language films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Ishmael Bernal Films produced by Nora Aunor 1970s in the Philippines Philippine films based on comics Philippine satirical films Philippine comedy films Films set in Metro Manila Films set in Laguna (province) Films set in Pangasinan Films set in Rizal (province)